The new Ramen Airborne Spectroscopic Lidar (RASL) instrument
being designed under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program at Goddard Space Flight Center is capable of several
atmospheric and cloud measurements that address high priority NASA/Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) objectives.

At the heart of the RASL instrument is a 24-inch aperture F/1.5-F/5.3 Cassegrain telescope Optical
Tube Assembly (OTA) originally designed and now under construction by DFM Engineering, Inc.

The structure is similar to our astronomical telescopes and LIDAR Optical
Tube Assemblys Optics in a Box™ and
uses Invar spacers as one part of the temperature compensation.

The OTA has the capability to operate in any attitude and uses a passive, fully temperature compensated
structure so there is nearly zero focus shift over the expected operating temperature range within
the various aircraft or on ground based observations.

DFM Lidar Scanner

DFM Optics in a Box™

The optics have been completed and are being integrated into the OTA.
Test fixtures are being fabricated and testing will begin soon.

Thereafter, DFM will anodize the aluminum parts and send out the optics for the final coating of
enhanced aluminum.